KNEEL BEFORE THE ALTAR

In reverence?

This image was shared by a friend at FB.  It caught my fancy and every time I pass by this image, I am reminded to kneel before the altar.

Isn’t it a good reminder to say grace before partaking from the table?

Although this goat has been pushed to the limit of its leash, that it has to kneel down to nibble at the priced green diet, one doesn’t have to be kneeling or bowing down while eating.


I once heard of a question, thrown as a joke or whatever, asking why people bow down and close their eyes before they eat.  I hope he knows that we were not worshiping our food but the giver.  How much would it show if people have to go down on their knees while eating?  Except of course, if it is a Korean or Japanese meal time.

For times that we enter the Altar or the Holy Place, we should be on our knees or bowed low in humility.  One blogger says that when she enters her prayer sanctuary, she takes off her sandals.

For me, we can go all about how we would like to express our awe in our Holy God.  We are free.  But one thing surely needs to be in order, the issue of our heart.

Places can be designated as a Holy Place, a Prayer Sanctuary, a, Prayer Room, a Holy Ground and you may preserve its sanctity.  "Hallowed be the ground where God is found."

IMAGE SOURCE

 It is a good thing and being able to point at its sacredness to the other members of the family, will make them respect it too, and they may tread quietly even reverently,  while passing along the place, when you are in there.  I once stumbled upon a blog, but I forget where it is now, where she wrote about the little prefab backyard shed her husband gifted her for her alone time- where she could pray, have her quiet time, write her journals and read.   It looks like the picture in the right.  How awesome it would be if one has such a place consecrated for prayer.

When one lives in a one-room house, where there is no nook to designate as a private prayer room, one learns to withdraw deep inside to hear the still small voice.   A walk to the nearest hill is a sure difficult task to traverse.  Perhaps not to the agile but so for the older ones like me.  Thus, it is necessary to develop that quiet inside your heart,  to be able to commune with your Holy Father.

Lastly, seeking God in quiet walks, for petitions and intercessions, or even in the ordinary order of the day like eating and going to bed, or going out of the house, one needs to say grace,  acknowledge the God of Provision and Protection.


Preceding all transactions with our Heavenly Father must be a heart prepared, humble and worshipful.


Last week I was reading from a friend’s blog , CROWN OF BEAUTY, where she shared that:

“We are learning as we go deeper into intercession that it is not wise to engage in spiritual warfare without adequate worship.

 Our warfare must proceed from worship.”

So entering the Altar before our Holy God, we need to be clothed in humility, bowed low to our knees, reverent and worthy.  This is more of a heart issue than a place issue.

Science says that we have to wash our hands before we eat.  But when you hear the Psalmist say it this way:

 Psalm 26:6   "I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, O LORD,"

 ...... the washing of hands in innocence should mean the right heart or the right attitude.  We are on Holy Ground, what should our attitude be and what should be the state of our heart?

CONSECRATE OUR HEART.

I would like to link this post with Patsy at HeARTworks with her Ezekiel with Dreadlocks! 

It is so timely with this post, finding Ezekiel lying flat on his face, in reverence before the presence of the Lord.

He must be in such a Holy Place before God.

"As the appearance of a 

rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day,

so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance.

Such was the appearance

of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

And when I saw it, 

I fell on my face...."

Ezekiel 1:28

CLICK HERE

A HAPPY NEW WEEK TO EVERYONE! 

LORD, HERE IS YADAH!

ight of the world,

You stepped down into darkness.

 Shrouded in gloom, buried in mire, lies whispered lies, into a young heart.
"You are nothing, you have no place under the sun.  Go and hide your face!"

But I know He came for the sinners and that they may have life, an abundant life!

The word of Scriptures say:

I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent." (Luke 5:32)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

Opened my eyes, let me see

Beauty that made this heart adore You

Hope of a life spent with You.

I know, Lord, I have sinned, and I need You.  Please save me, Lord!

Thank you that You have sought me out and made me aware that you were waiting for me.  You did not give up on me.

Darkness is broken, I no longer walk in fear.  I now believe guilt feelings were lies.

Here I am to worship,

Here I am to bow down,

Here I am to say that You're my God. 

What would be my response to the beauty bestowed upon me? All for His eternal love, death on the cross, God to mortal, Kingship given up for sacrifice, righteousness for sin, how would I not be forever grateful?  You have made me to worship, My Lord. 

You're altogether lovely

All together worthy,

All together wonderful to me.

I praise You, I exalt your Name.  There is no other name above Your Name, my Father.  You have lifted me higher and now I can see the wonders of you hand.  I see loveliness in the ordinary things.  I am joyful and am so blessed.

I am Yadah, here I am, Lord,  I yadah You, L' Adoni!

                                                                                   

..... and the rest of the hymn:

King of all days
oh, so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came
To the earth You created
All for love's sake became poor
Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You're my God
You're altogether lovely
All together worthy,
All together wonderful to me

I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
I'll never know how much it cost

God has been whispering into my days of toil, moments of unbalanced accounting books, nights of dirty dishes and dirty clothes.   Into the prayer morning welcome and the hushed calls off the night.

Sing, sing, sing..... sing joy, sing glad, sing grateful.  And then all the things of earth will grow strangely dim,  in the light of His glory and grace (refrain from Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus).

Never take off your Garment of Praise and Thanksgiving.  For it is your shield against the lies of the enemy and the wiles of the flesh.

So I turn my eyes upon Him when I need to reaffirm.  A sweet voice I am not, but deep in my heart I worship and mean every word as in singing.......  I dance around lifting my arms up to Him whose sandals I am not worthy to tie..... yet He loves me and says I am beautiful.

Here, Lord, my arms outstretched in worship, feet dancing to tune in my mind, heart full of love....

Yes Lord, here is Yadah!  

Hodu l’ Adonai.



 ^NKJ Psalm 136:1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Reference:  Psalm 28:7 " ....with my song, will I praise Him"

                  2 Chron. 20:30 "..... in the ritual worship."

YADAH 

 Yadah is a root word that means “to throw out the hand”.  In other words, it signifies an outstretched arm.  Though it’s a root word, it’s obviously similar to the Hebrew word yad ( ׳ד – Strong’s 3027) which means hand. 

                  ^NKJ 2 Samuel 22:50 Therefore I will give thanks (yadah) to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises (zamar) to Your name.

In this song of praise, David declared the many times YHVH stepped in and defeated or delivered him from his enemies.  He concluded the song by saying he will give thanks to YHVH among the Gentiles.  In other words, in the presence of the Gentiles, David wanted to thank God openly and declare His works to everyone!

This sequence of giving thanks to God and singing praises to Him is quite common, especially in the writings of King David.  It’s a form of Hebrew poetry called Parallelism where a thought or idea is expressed two different ways.  Thus, to the Hebrew mind, giving thanks is much the same as offering praise.

In addition to yadah meaning thanks or thanksgiving, the word can itself mean praise.

^NKJ Psalm 9:1 I will praise (yadah) You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.

^NKJ Psalm 44:8 In God we boast all day long, And praise (yadah) Your name forever. Selah

Source:   GIVE THANKS

My thanks to Sister Betty, for leading me to this hymn.  I am happy that I found a video from YouTube of this hymn.  It is a First Baptist Church recording.

PRAISE LOOKS GOOD ON YOU!

PHOTO SOURCE

ejoice in the LORD, you righteous ones;
   praise from the upright is beautiful .

                                         PS 33:1

I was off to A Sheltering Tree of Ms. Pamela Kuhn and found myself happily reading about healthy kind of praise.  

As children they were brought up by appreciative parents and in turn, lavished them upon hers and to her grands.

This verse hits me right again at another angle:

WHEN THE HEART IS GRATEFUL

hen the dog bites,

When the bee stings,

When I'm feeling sad,

I simply remember my favorite things.

And then I don't feel so bad.

~Chorus of My Favorite Things

                                                                                               From The Sound of Music

I really love the lyrics of this song.

It so reminds me of the things that bothers us in our everyday life.

What with the stings of sour or hurtful words, like criticism.

Then there are times that sadness sits in.  Loneliness comes to live with us, dwell in our hearts and in our minds, we waltz with it for a while.

But never for long.

THE SIGHT, SOUNDS and TOUCH OF MUSIC

 Music washes away from the soul

the dust of everyday life.

~Berthold Auerbach

There's music in the sighing of a reed;
There's music in the gushing of a rill;
There's music in all things, if men had ears:
Their earth is but an echo of the spheres.
~Lord Byron

Music is what feelings sound like.

~Author Unknown

A painter paints pictures on canvas.  But musicians paint their pictures on silence.  

~Leopold Stokowski

Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons.  You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body.  

                                                           ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

                                         He who sings scares away his woes.  ~Cervantes

Is there spirit in music?

Does music touch your soul?